COLU @ CONCEPTS

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, a onetime U.S. ally who was ousted as Panama’s dictator by an American invasion in 1989, died late Monday at age 83. Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela wrote in his Twitter account that “the death of Manuel A. Noriega closes a chapter in our history.” Varela added, “His daughters and his relatives deserve to mourn in peace.” Noriega ruled with an iron fist, ordering the deaths of those who opposed him and maintaining a murky, close and conflictive relationship with the United States. A source close to the family of Manuel Noriega says the former Panamanian dictator has died at age 83. The onetime U.S. ally was ousted as Panama’s dictator by an American invasion in 1989 and spent the rest of his life in prison in several countries. (May 30) At the apex of his power he wielded great influence outside the country as well thanks to longstanding relationships with spy agencies around the world, said R.M....

Players arriving for a tournament this week at Muirfield Village might notice a framed picture of Tiger Woods with a resplendent smile and bright red shirt. He’s posed there with the trophy, an image that embodies the excitement he once brought to golf. A far different photo emerged Monday, this one from the Palm Beach County jail in Florida after Woods was arrested on a DUI charge. Sullen, lifeless eyes. Thinning hair mussed at the top. Scraggly facial hair. A white T-shirt. Golf great Tiger Woods has been arrested on a DUI charge in Florida. (May 29) In another stunning development for a player who became one of the dominant figures in sports, Woods was arrested on suspicion of DUI and spent nearly four hours in jail before he was released on his own recognizance. Woods said an “unexpected reaction” to prescription medicine — not alcohol — was the reason for his arrest. He said he understands the severity of the incident and takes full responsibility. “I want...

WASHINGTON (AP) — For Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, writing a Republican-only health care bill that can pass the Senate boils down to this question: How do you solve a problem like Dean, Lisa, Patrick, Ted, Rand and Susan? Those are some GOP senators whose clashing demands McConnell, R-Ky., must resolve. Facing solid Democratic opposition to demolishing former President Barack Obama’s 2010 overhaul, Republicans will lose if just three of their 52 senators defect. In a report that complicated McConnell’s task, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office delivered a damaging critique last week of the GOP-written bill the House approved May 4. It concluded the measure would create 23 million additional uninsured Americans by 2026; lower premiums for younger and healthy people by letting them buy sparser coverage; and confront unhealthy, poorer and older consumers with exorbitant out-of-pocket costs. As GOP senators try privately crafting a bill, here are some problems facin...

MARAWI, Philippines (AP) — Militants who have occupied much of a southern Philippines city over the past week were planning violent attacks during the holy month of Ramadan to earn recognition as a regional branch of the Islamic State group, the military said Tuesday. Soldiers have taken control of about 70 percent of Marawi, where the gunmen have been fending off the army for a week, military chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Ano said. About 100 militants, troops and civilians have been killed. “They wanted to show the world that there is an ISIS branch here which can inflict the kind of violence that has been seen in Syria and Iraq,” Ano told The Associated Press, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. The siege in Marawi followed an unsuccessful army raid that attempted to capture militant commander Isnilon Hapilon, who has been designated by the Islamic State group as its leader in the Philippines. Hapilon escaped and gunmen loyal to him besieged this mostly Muslim ci...

BROOKHAVEN, Miss. (AP) — It was after midnight when a gunman burst into the living room of a southern Mississippi home where young people were playing video games. Caleb Edwards, 15, said the man — whom he knows as Corey Godbolt — demanded to know where his cousin’s parents where. Jordan Blackwell, 18, said they were gone to another town. At that, Godbolt “just started shooting,” Caleb said. As people scrambled to hide inside the Brookhaven home, Blackwell used his own body to shield his cousin Caleb from the gunfire. A 15-year-old survivor of a shooting in Mississippi that killed eight people says his cousin, who was killed, “took a bullet” for him when a gunman burst into the living room of their home. (May 29) With his mother standing by his side Monday, Caleb spoke calmly as he recounted to The Associated Press how he felt the force of the impact as Blackwell was shot Sunday. “He loved me enough to take some bullets for me,” Caleb said. Caleb’s 11-year-old ...

BAB AL-HAWA, Turkey-Syria Border (AP) — Nikki Haley crouched low in the trailer of an 18-wheeler taping up a box of lentils and wheat for besieged Syrians, her hands-on diplomacy a world apart from the gleaming new NATO headquarters where President Donald Trump was debuting his “America First” doctrine overseas. Haley, Trump’s U.N. ambassador, had started the day in Turkey’s capital, opened a refugee school in the south of the country, then traveled hours in an armored vehicle to the Syrian border. Her afternoon stop had to be short. She had a packed schedule, and at a nearby refugee camp she was soon kicking soccer balls with stranded Syrians and noshing on shawarma. As she hopped a flight to Istanbul, Trump was arriving in Brussels to scold European allies for relying too much on U.S. defense spending. Haley’s mission represented another side of Trump’s “America First,” assuring nations on the border of the world’s worst crisis that the U.S. wasn’t forgetting them. “I thin...

The mayor of Portland, Oregon, on Monday urged U.S. officials and organizers to cancel a “Trump Free Speech Rally” and other similar events, saying they are inappropriate and could be dangerous after two men were stabbed to death on a train as they tried to help a pair of young women targeted by an anti-Muslim tirade. Mayor Ted Wheeler said he hopes the victims will inspire “changes in the political dialogue in this country.” It comes amid a wider debate in the U.S. about the First Amendment, often in liberal cities like Portland and Berkeley, California, and on college campuses, where violent protests between far-right and far-left protesters have derailed appearances by contentious figures. One of two Oregon teenagers who was the target of an anti-muslim tirade on a Portland train thanked the men who were killed after confronting the attacker. (May 29) Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, 23, and Ricky John Best, 53, were killed Friday as they tried to stop Jeremy Joseph...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Hundreds of protesters opposing Texas’ tough new anti-“sanctuary cities” law launched a raucous demonstration from the public gallery in the Texas House on Monday, briefly halting work and prompting lawmakers on the floor below to scuffle — and even threaten gun violence — as tense divides over hardline immigration policies boiled over. Activists wearing red T-shirts reading “Lucha,” or “Fight,” quietly filled hundreds of gallery seats as proceedings began. After about 40 minutes, they began to cheer, drowning out the lawmakers below. Protesters also blew whistles and chanted: “Here to stay!” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, SB4 has got to go,” referring to the bill that Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law this month. Some unfurled banners reading: “See you in court!” and “See you at the polls!” State House leadership stopped the session and asked state troopers to clear the gallery. The demonstration continued for about 20 minutes as officers led people out of the c...

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday expressed the nation’s “boundless” gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice paid by Americans defending the United States, dedicating his first Memorial Day address as commander in chief to a top Cabinet secretary and two other families who lost loved ones. Participating in the somber, annual observance at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump recounted the stories of Green Beret Capt. Andrew D. Byers of Colorado Springs and Christopher D. Horton of the Oklahoma National Guard as Byers’ tearful parents and Horton’s emotional widow looked on. In Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery, President Donald Trump urged the audience that stories of incredible military bravery must be told for 1,000 years. (May 29) Trump also singled out for special mention Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a retired Marine four-star general whose son, Marine 2nd Lt. Robert M. Kelly, was killed in November 2010 after he stepped ...

Significant events in life of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega: — Feb. 11, 1934: Born in Panama City. Grows up in low-income El Chorrillo neighborhood with adoptive parents. —1957: Studies at military academy in Peru. Upon return, he joins Panama’s military, the National Guard, becoming chief of western province of Chiriqui. —December 1969: Allows Gen. Omar Torrijos to land in Chiriqui from Mexico after military uprising against commander of National Guard. —1970: Promoted to lieutenant colonel and takes over feared G-2, the military intelligence bureau. For a decade he collaborates closely with CIA. —July 31, 1981: Torrijos dies in plane accident, and members of secret service temporarily take over National Guard. —Aug. 12, 1983: Noriega assumes command of National Guard, which he will convert to Panama’s Defense Forces. —May 17, 1984: Electoral court declares Noriega-backed Nicholas Ardito Barletta as winner of presidential election as opposition alleges f...